Chukh is a spicy, sweet and sour chutney from the Chamba region of Himachal Pradesh. I came across this recipe in one of the cookery shows recently and thought of giving it a try. So here you are - my version of this super tongue tingling condiment that can be enjoyed with any kind of Indian bread.
Traditionally raisins, honey, lime juice and amchur are used in this recipe for the sweet and tangy flavour. But I substituted it with brown sugar and tamarind paste. You can as well prepare in large quantities and store in an airtight container to be used as a pickle. So check the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.
- 6-7 Kashmiri Dry red chilies, soaked in war water for an hour
- 10-15 fresh red chilies
- 4-5 garlic cloves
- 1" ginger
- salt to taste
- 1/4 cup mustard oil
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
- 1 tsp. Kashmiri red chili powder (opt)
- 1/4 tsp. asafoetida
- 1 tsp. tamarind paste
- 2 tbsp. sugar (I used powdered sugar)
To dry roast & grind -
- 1 tsp. coriander seeds
- 1 tsp. cumin seeds
- 1 tsp. fennel seeds
- 1 tsp. carom seeds
- 1 tsp. mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp. fenugreek seeds
Grind together the soaked red chillies, fresh chillies, ginger and garlic to a smooth paste by adding some water.
Heat oil in a pan and saute the asafoetida and the ground dry spices for a few seconds. Then add the ground paste, salt, turmeric powder, tamarind paste, chili powder and some water.
Saute on a medium flame till it leaves the sides of the pan. Now add the sugar and stir fry for a few more seconds.
Switch off the flame and set aside to cool down. Store in an airtight container for later use. Serve as a condiment along with any form of Indian bread.
It can also be used as a spread on toast, parathas, pizza, sandwiches or on tortillas with few stuffings as a wrap.
Dry roast 1 tsp. each of coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, carom seeds, mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. Set aside to cool.
Then grind into a fine powder.
Grind soaked red chilies, fresh chilies, ginger and garlic
to a smooth paste by adding some water.
Heat oil & sauté asafoetida & ground dry spices for a few seconds. Then
add the ground paste,
salt, turmeric powder, tamarind paste, chili powder & some water. Sauté
on a medium flame till it leaves the sides of the pan.
Now add the sugar and stir fry for a few more seconds.
Switch off the flame and set aside to cool down.
Serve as a condiment with any Indian bread. Use it as a spread on toast,
parathas, pizza, sandwiches or on tortillas with few stuffing's as a wrap.
This is a very quick, yet delicious chicken curry that is a perfect side dish for noodles or fried rice. I kept it very simple by adding just some tomato sauce, vinegar, salt and pepper for the seasoning. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.
- 500 gms. chicken, curry cut
- 2 onions, sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, cubed
- 1 tbsp. garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp. ginger, grated
- 2 tbsp. oil
- salt to taste
- 1 tsp. pepper powder
- 3-4 tbsp. tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp. vinegar
Heat 1 tbsp. oil and fry the chicken till light golden in colour. Drain and keep aside.
Heat remaining oil and saute the garlic, ginger, bell pepper and onion for a minute. Add the chicken, salt, pepper, tomato sauce, vinegar and 1/2 cup water.
Cover and simmer on a low flame till the chicken turns soft and the gravy thickens. Serve as a side dish with noodles or fried rice.
Heat 1 tbsp. oil & fry chicken till light golden in colour. keep aside.
Heat remaining oil & saute garlic, ginger, bell pepper onion for a minute.
Add chicken, salt, pepper, tomato sauce, vinegar & 1/2 cup water.
Cover & simmer on a low flame till chicken turns soft.....
....and gravy thickens.
Serve as a side dish with noodles or fried rice.
This is a Chinese style sweet and sour recipe, where I substituted chicken with sausages. Absolutely yummy and very quick to make, it can be dished out in no time, if all the ingredients are available. It goes very well with either plain rice, noodles or Chinese fried rice.
I added some chili sambal and chili sauce to make it more spicy and appetizing. The addition of the assorted bell peppers and green peas gives this dish a very colorful appearance. So check out the recipe of chili sambal too.
- 1-2 cups sausages, chopped into 1" pieces
- 1 1/2 cups coloured Bell Peppers, chopped into large chunks
- 1 onion, chopped into large chunks
- 1/2 cup frozen green peas
- 1 tsp. garlic, chopped
- 2 tbsp. oil
- 1-2 whole dry red chilies
- salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp. pepper powder
- 1 tbsp. chili sambal paste
- 2 tbsp. red chili sauce
- 1-2 tsp. vinegar
- coriander leaves to garnish
Heat oil in a pan and fry the sausages till light brown. Drain and keep aside. Temper the same oil with the dry red chilies and garlic.
Saute till the garlic changes colour and add the onion. Saute for a few seconds. Then add the chili sambal and give it a stir.
Add the chopped bell peppers, green peas, salt and pepper powder. Saute on high heat for a minute and then add the chili sauce and vinegar. Mix well and serve, garnished with coriander leaves.
Chili Sambal -
- 15-20 dry red chilies, soaked for an hour
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- 1 lemon grass, sliced
- 8-10 shallots
- salt to taste
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 2-3 tbsp. oil
- 2 tbsp. dried anchovies., cleaned, drained & pat dry
Heat oil in a pan and fry the anchovies till crisp. Drain on a kitchen towel. When cool, grind along with chilies, garlic, lemon grass, shallots, salt, vinegar and sugar to a smooth paste.
Heat the same oil in which the anchovies were fried. Saute the prepared paste on a low flame till it turns slightly dark brown in colour and the oil starts to separate from the sides of the pan. Serve along with Nasi Lemak, noodles, Nasi Goreng, etc.
